


And the Cure for Broken Hearts

by Kariachi



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: #savestumpy2015, Fix-It, Gen, Spoilers for and the Cost of Education, Team as Family, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 05:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5235509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kariachi/pseuds/Kariachi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, when your friend is hurting, you just have to take action.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And the Cure for Broken Hearts

Ezekiel Jones had been lackluster for days and it was killing everybody on the team. They were used to, could handle, Cassandra hiding behind a smile, Stone behind a gruff shell, or Jenkins his distance and formality, but this- Master Thief Ezekiel Jones was not meant to walk around the Library like a zombie, listlessly going from room to room always to return to the box of stone he kept under the table in the Annex. Cassandra had asked the day after Wexler why he had it, to be met with sniffling and a vow to find someplace amazing to bury poor Stumpy. She’d left him there with tears on his face and one hand on a cold stone head.

The next week or so had been spent trying to cheer him up. Stone had invited Ezekiel to join him in a horror movie marathon in the theater and to bars with no success. Cassandra had brought him treats and given a near endless amount of hugs and only gotten the barest hint of a smile for about ten seconds. Colonel Baird made him take the time off and took to leaving flyers to expensive exhibits and galleries laying around to no avail, and Jenkins had tried to have a talk with him about sacrifices and honoring the deceased that fell so flat Cassandra and Baird had ushered him out of the room for a stern talking to about making the youngest Librarian cry. Over all, the entire exercise had been a failure.

For a week Ezekiel had been deep in mourning for a stone gargoyle, and nobody could handle it.

“Well, at least he’s leaving the Library now.” Baird said as the doors slammed shut behind him. Everyone was seated around the central table in the Annex and had watched in mute curiosity as Ezekiel had come down the stairs, blindly walked passed them, and out the door to who knows where.

“Now we just need to get him acting like he’s alive.” Turning toward the others, Stone frowned. “Didn’t think the little guy dying would affect him so much.”

“He did die saving Ezekiel from a tentacle monster,” Cassandra said, pulling Stumpy’s head from where she’d hidden it in her lap at Ezekiel’s arrival. The last time somebody had touched Stumpy Stone had come away with a black eye. Turns out Jones really did have a good right hook. “That has to count for something.” Baird sighed sympathetically.

“It can be really hard, even just having someone die, but in that sort of situation…” Standing at Stone’s right, Jenkins nodded.

“Yes. Moving on can, take some time.” He sighed with a frown and small shrug. “All we can do is let him know we’re here for him and give him the time he needs to grieve.” While they knew it was true, the statement didn’t do anything to ease the melancholy draped over them. Chewing her lip, Cassandra stared at Stumpy’s head, massaging a stone ear. Within minutes her mouth straightened, tight in determination as she set the head down and stood.

“We have the Library.” After a confused moment the others all gave each other a look of realization and Baird and Stone all but catapulted out of their seats.

“I’ll hit Lowes!”

“Come on, Cassandra, let’s see what we can find.” Watching as Stone skidded out the front entrance and Baird and Cassandra dialed in and then threw themselves into the Library proper, Jenkins couldn’t bring himself to even fake protest. He picked up the head and turned it over in his hands with a sigh.

“I told him not to make eye contact.” Shaking his head, he carefully placed it in the box with the rest of the gargoyle, picking it up and heading into the Library. Most of the artifacts in the Magical Foci room had disappeared, so there should be plenty of room to work…

* * *

 

Ezekiel Jones walked into the Annex following an afternoon of wandering around his hometown not stealing anything and immediately nearly collided with a grinning Stone. In looking around everybody was smiling, and all crowded around the doors. He hadn’t seen Jenkins look prouder in ages and Cassandra was literally bouncing on her heels.

“Uh, hey guys,” He said, backing up slowly, “what’s going on?”

“We got you a surprise,” Cassandra crowed, “you’re gonna love it!” A hand clapped down on his shoulder and the owner, Baird, waved a bright red blindfold at him. Ezekiel’s eyes narrowed as he shied from her.

“No.”

“Yes.” Keeping her grin, Baird draped the blindfold across his eyes and began tying it.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Mister Jones,” Jenkins said, “we aren’t doubles or brainwashed,” off-handedly Ezekiel thought Jenkins might have been at this job too long, or maybe he had since it _had_ been a concern, “we just felt you could use some cheering up.” As Baird stepped away, replacing her hand on his shoulder, he felt another set of hands close over his eyes.

“It’s a blindfold, mate,” he said with a frown, “I already can’t see.”

“Just in case.” Stone’s grin was audible in his words and Ezekiel could’ve sworn he heard it get bigger as Jenkins’s familiar steps rounded them on their way to dial in a location. He felt a gust of wind as the doors swung open again and smelled the familiar must of old books and dusty artifacts that came from the Library. Alright, his surprise was in there. Cassandra took his hands and led him inside. Their path was lined with creaking as Jenkins opened doors ahead of them.

“So, you’ve been really sad over Stumpy,” Ezekiel’s heart clenched and the image of his little gargoyle being snatched away by a tentacle flashed behind his eyes, Stumpy hadn’t deserved it, “ever since, the incident,” Cassandra said, “and we wanted to do something to help you feel better.” Baird’s grip on his shoulder tightened. He could just feel Stone nodding behind him.

“Listen guys,” he said as they came to a stop, “this is nice of you but I really just want-”

There was a familiar whine. Ezekiel froze, trying to force down his hopes even as Stone removed his hands and the blindfold. Jenkins and Cassandra stood smiling by a large table but he didn’t notice, all he could see was

“Stumpy?” he squeaked. “Stumpy!” Almost before they could register it Ezekiel had torn out of Baird and Stone’s grasp and flung himself at the table, arms wrapped tight around the gargoyle and cheek pressed to stone cheek. “Stumpy you’re back!!” Stumpy barked and the others would’ve sworn he leaned into Ezekiel’s touch.

“Miss Cillian was certain we must have something in the Library that could revive your, friend,” Jenkins said, stepping closer, “and it turned out she was right.” Tears were in Cassandra’s eyes as she nodded, still grinning widely.

“Jenkins and I figured out how to make it work while Baird and Jake put him back together.”

“Nothing a little mortar couldn’t fix,” Jake said, the Colonel smiling beside him.

“And it turns out ‘dismantled by eldritch abomination’ is on the list of things Bathsheba’s oil of healing can repair.” Smiling widely for the first time in a week, Ezekiel wiped his nose on his sleeve and beamed at his team.

“You guys are the greatest,” He said, sniffling, before turning back to Stumpy, “and you are never going on a mission again.” Stumpy whined, but didn’t seem to disagree.


End file.
